Food to bring back from London

I'm going to London next week and would like to bring back some non perishable or can last 8-10 hours food items to bring for friends and family. Any brands of biscuits and tea you would recommend? Whatelse would you recommend that would be tough to find in the US? Apparently, some cheeses are permissible also.

Fortnum & Mason does good potted cheeses. Also look out for Duchy Original biscuits - you can find them in most supermarkets. If you want something traditionally British, try getting a pot of Marmite, although just warning that it can be a bit of an acquired taste!

If you're going through any of the main terminals at Heathrow, there are a ton of shopping options, including outposts of Harrods and Fortnum & Mason and other British shops - and they are past security.

You could bring crumpets so that your friends could find out how awful they are

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You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you snowbird? What's wrong with crumpets - aren't they right-wing enough for you?

Crumpets and English muffins are both delicious, toasted and with butter. As well as or instead of the cheeses mentioned earlier, you could try one of the traditional hard white, crumbly cheeses such as Caerphilly, Cheshire or Wensleydale.

As for biscuits, Waitrose's Almond Cookies are heavenly, and all the Duchy Originals are good (though very expensive).

Most large supermarkets in the US sell a good variety of English foods and teas or you can buy it online. I'd want to bring back the stuff that's homemade and doesn't really come in a packet or jar or stuff I can't get here. Homemade bread sauce, fresh Yorkshire pudding, hot roasted potatoes cooked with a roast. Somehow I don't think any of it would get through customs or be any good at the other end.

A jar of lemon curd might be an idea. Delicious. Although it's the wrong time of the year you may be able to find a Christmas pudding and brandy sauce. They'll last until next Christmas. Daddies Sauce maybe. It's a brown sweet, tangy sauce - the US equivalent is close to the taste of Heinz 57 but Daddies sauce is better.

A few years ago the Paris Salon du Chocolat was considerately held during the same time as TEB, and I went with a friend. Some of our favorite chocolates there turned out to be by a small British company - Booja Booja. If you can find any while in the UK, I would definitely recommend it.

I've never been to England but it all sounds delicious. Now I want chocolates and scones and clotted cream etc. BTW I always thought that crumpets aren't eaten by themselves, that you put jam or something on them. People in books are always eating jam & crumpets so maybe they're not supposed to be good without a topping. I don't really know what a crumpet is.